Italian firm pushes dev’t of storm resistant urban centers

MANILA, Philippines - GREEN architectural and energy firm Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corp. (ITPI) urged the use of storm resistant urban centers and buildings to rebuild Leyte and other parts of Eastern Visayas that were hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Italian architect Romolo Nati, executive chairman and CEO of ITPI, said he is willing to work with local engineers in affected areas to build storm-resistant buildings and urban centers.

“We have a chance to develop the master plans of the new cities and towns – sustainable plans that take into account the need to survive typhoons and build sustainable habitats,” said Nati, who has made the Philippines his adoptive home for four years now.

The Italian head of ITPI has partnered with Constellation Energy Corp. (CEC), which has expanded its business from green energy to the design and development of sustainable buildings.

CEC has contracts with the Department of Energy (DOE) for several geothermal, wind and hydroelectric projects.

“I feel very sad for the Filipinos in Tacloban and Leyte who have to deal with the death and destruction brought by Yolanda, and I would like to help them get back on their feet,” Nati added.

“It is imperative to create master plans of cities and towns that have a much better chance of withstanding super storms and other extreme weather conditions that the world expects as a consequence of climate change,” he said.

Among the features of sustainable habitats include proper zoning or concentrating living spaces in higher areas, in places 50 to 100 meters above sea level.

“Then, there’s the civil works component, such as building dikes and storm walls, as well as drainage channels to facilitate the flow of storm waters into the sea,” he said.

“For buildings, we can also adopt what I call the ‘Aikido strategy,’ that includes adopting features that minimize the opposition of strong winds and storm waters,” Nati also explained, referring to the Japanese martial art in which practitioners don’t oppose their attackers head on but instead flow with the motion of the attacker to redirect the force of the attack.

Among these features are perforated facades and inner courtyards, both of which minimize the opposition of buildings to storm surges and strong winds brought by typhoons.

“Buildings can also be designed to withstand extreme conditions by adopting hydrodynamic and aerodynamic shapes,” he said.

For settlements along coastal areas, Nati said developers should construct buildings with all their load-bearing walls positioned perpendicular – and not in opposition – to the sea to help withstand tsunamis. 

“Open room-to-room designs that minimize obstruction in the event of overpowering flow of water can also help,” said Nati.

The company has incorporated storm-resistant features in Tower 1 of its Primavera Residences, ITPI’s mixed-use condominium complex in Cagayan de Oro City, which helped it survive the deadly typhoon Sendong that flattened many buildings in CDO and in nearby Iligan City in December 2011.